Immigration lawyers serve their clients as well as the public good by helping families reunite as well as delivering economic benefits via skilled and business-related migration, and securing the vulnerable by implementing humanitarian programs.
As an industry Immigration law is moving towards more stringent professional standards with greater specialisation and a greater degree of supervision. The evolving nature of the profession has led the immigration lawyers who include Glenn Ferguson, the Vice president of the Queensland Law Society and Immigration Solutions Principal Solicitor Anne O’Donoghue to establish the Immigration Lawyers Association of Australasia The Immigration Lawyers Association of Australasia ILAA The ILAA
The final result of the changes in the profession and the formation of a professional body, will be a better quality of services to customers.
Professionalism
As with all lawyers attorneys, immigration lawyers must adhere to the minimum standards of professionalism and they must also attend continuing professional education in law (CLE) seminars. Specialist immigration lawyers may also undertake specialist accreditation,through specialist accreditation programmes, which have been established by the Law Society of NSW and the Law Institute of Victoria. These programmes have been in existence for a few years and have proven to be extremely successful in raising the standards of professionalism.
It is also in conjunction with the guidelines set by the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA) for continuing professional development (CPD) however there has been recent moves to let immigration lawyers cross credit CPD as well as CLE courses.
Legal professionals who represent immigrants must adhere to professional and ethical standards as stipulated by the State legal profession laws, which regulate the legal profession in Australia as well as the rules that are contained in the MARA code of ethics
This dual structure of regulation, although sometimes difficult, is able to ensure that the professionalism for immigration lawyers is high, which allows lawyers to provide high-quality services to their clients who are often confused by law.
It is anticipated that the creation that of ILAA will increase the opportunities immigration lawyers have to pursue professional growth within their field, as well as creating a new field of practice for lawyers who are young.
Growing specialisation
Laws governing immigration are a vast and complicated part in the system of law. There are currently more than 500 laws in the Australian Migration Act, as well as many cases are filed each year.
With this in mind it is becoming more difficult for a single lawyer to be able to work in all areas of law relating to migration.
This is why the 移民 律师 are getting more specialized, and hiring legal professionals to handle various aspects that deal with immigration laws, like immigration law, skilled migration family migration, refugee law for instance.
In addition increasing popular for general practitioners of law to refer immigration matters to an immigration specialist in the event that, for instance the existing clients of the practice is facing an issue with immigration. The firm might not be able handle the case, but wants to meet the needs of the client. Employing a specialist as a consultant can solve the issue and helps create an environment that is conducive to networking.
Together, this preferential method of practice helps to ensure that consumers of migration receive the expert care they require to navigate Australia’s immigration system.
Superb supervision
In contrast to migration agents, which are solely regulated by the MARA Legal professionals are required to be registered with their respective state’s legal authorities and must also be covered by professional insurance for indemnity.
This stringent oversight process ensures that lawyers follow high standards of service and also that there is an effective mechanism to resolve complaints in the event that they occur.
The result of this strict surveillance, along with the highest professional standards, and an increasing specialisation of immigration lawyers, is that they provide the top-quality services their clients require.
